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[xelv]

Greetings all,

I don't usually make threads here, but I guess I have the best chance of getting something of value from fellow electronic/computer engineers here. I'm in my 4th year of CpE, and I'm taking a Microprocessor Interfacing course. We must present a 10 page proposal for a project in two weeks, and for the last two days my partners and I have been looking for plausible ideas for us to implement this semester. We must design a system, interfacing both the hardware and the software.

The project main requirements are:
.Communication(the system must communicate with another system)
.User Interface(it must have a a human user interface)
.Control(the system must control something)
.Microprocessor(it must use a microprocessor)

I have taken programming courses(including some i8086 assembly), digital circuit design and a microprocessor course, but we have never actually designed something outside of LogicWorks. The most I've done is a 7 instruction microprocessor design in LogicWorks. Even with all of this, I have no idea of where to start. I'm pretty sure the professor will help us out, but we want to start doing something right now and I'll be grateful if you can suggest anything.

Short version:
I need ideas for a Computer Engineering Project to create a system that communicates with another system, that has a user interface, that controls something and has a microprocessor. Thanks!

Possible Ideas:
I was just thinking of a digital locking system for your house with some buttons, a camera attached and some way to connect to a wifi network. The system will tweet when an intruder tries to open the door with the time and picture of the act. Is this too far-fetched? Let me know. :lol

 

[SRG01]

Number 1 question: Are you using a microprocessor or microcontroller?

 

[xelv]

Number 1 question: Are you using a microprocessor or microcontroller?

That's a good question. I was just reading on the difference of those two and well I just read the professor's website and he has some microcontroller links there. So I guess we're going for microcontrollers.

 

[RobertM]

Power usage monitoring system

 

[tokkun]

How about some sort of climate control system for a house?

It is pretty easy to interface with temperature and light sensors and they are cheap.

 

[xelv]

Power usage monitoring system

So how would that work? Is that some kind of device I plug into an outlet and then plug what I want to read into it and attach a screen or something to see the power read? Sounds dangerous. (I was never into circuits/power )

How about some sort of climate control system for a house?

Sounds very cool. (No pun intended). I'll mention this and the power usage monitoring system to my group members. Thanks for the quick suggestions guys. Keep them coming! BTW, how far-fetched was my idea of a digital lock + camera that twits ?

 

[captive]

Sounds very cool. (No pun intended). I'll mention this and the power usage monitoring system to my group members. Thanks for the quick suggestions guys. Keep them coming! BTW, how far-fetched was my idea of a digital lock + camera that twits ?

depends on how good of programmers you and your team are and how much time you have.
I believe your first and probably biggest problem is linking the webcam you mentioned into the software you have to write.

I'm assuming you have to write everything for the project, or do ya'll get some apps to use to start with?

 

[xelv]

depends on how good of programmers you and your team are and how much time you have.
I believe your first and probably biggest problem is linking the webcam you mentioned into the software you have to write.

I'm assuming you have to write everything for the project, or do ya'll get some apps to use to start with?

BTW thanks for the PM captive, I already told my group members of your idea and they thought it was very cool. At the moment, I can't give you a precise answer about the software part, but my professor emphasized that we'll do everything from scratch, and that we'll program in C.

About the team, I think we consider ourselves good programmers because we've been taking programming courses for a few years. It's the hardware part that we've barely been introduced to.

 

[NotWii]

Do an automated model house

Turns lights off in rooms with no people using sensors
Adjusts temperature by season with override settings
Automatically waters the garden
Handles security
Gases the occupants while they sleep

etc

 

[xelv]

Do an automated model house

Turns lights off in rooms with no people using sensors
Adjusts temperature by season with override settings
Automatically waters the garden
Handles security
Gases the occupants while they sleep

etc

Thanks for the suggestions, Wii. I specifically like the "waters the garden" part. That gave me an idea of adapting such thing to work with twitter. I don't know why I'm resorting to twitter, but it just seems cool to be able to tweet "wata" being far from your house.